In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

I went into this book with very high expectations, but I had heard mixed things, so I was hoping and expecting the best but knew there was a big possibility that I was going to be disappointed. I definitely think the premise of Three Dark Crowns is what intrigued me into buying and investing time in the book, and I’m so glad I did, I really enjoyed reading this from start to finish.

I loved the dynamics of the different family groups and the way they all interact with each other and the princesses. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else other than the Naturalists to be honest. I don’t think I could hack it as a poisoner, I love my food to much and I think being a Elementalist I couldn’t handle all the religon that was based around it. The simple life of the Naturalist would definitely be for me. Plus they seem like the nicer group of people.

One thing I will say is I ABSOLUTELY HATED Joseph, his whole indecision, love triangle mess almost ruined this entire book! Plus his excuses and reasons were awful and so does no excuse his downright disgusting behaviour. Here’s hoping he gets pushed to the kerb to rot, because lets face it that’s what he deserves.

I think the most insightful part of Three Dark Crowns, and probably the part that I loved the most was watching them test their talents, especially Katherine’s, I think by the end of it you end up feeling just a little sorry for her and the life she has been forced to lead, especially as she sees herself as a neverending failure. Which I suppose could be said for Arsinoe but it seems to hit Katherine just that little bit harder.

Overall, I loved this book and premise. I went straight out and bought the sequel right away, so watch out for that being on my February TBR. I think Three Dark Crowns would suit anyone who enjoyed fantasy and was looking for something less intimidating that Game of Thrones or any of the other epic fantasies.

Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought. I have heard the sequel isn’t as great as the first one is that right?